Five remote training sessions will be organised on the Cultural Bank's online service during December. Two of the trainings are related to lyrics of one's own competence and three to productization. All training sessions also include the introduction training and discussion section of the Cultural Bank in addition to the theme speakers. The days are: Tue 9.12.2025 at 15-16.30 - Competence lyrics, trainer Carolina Pajula / TAMK Wed 10.12.2025 at 10-11.30 - Productisation, trainer Tuuli Penttinen-Lampisuo / Poike Productio Thu 11.12.2025 at 9-10.30 - Competence lyrics, trainer Carolina Pajula / TAMK Tue 16.12.2025 at 10-11.30 - Productisation, trainer Tuuli Penttinen-Lampisuo / Poike Productio Wed 17.12.2025 at 10-11.30 - Productisation, trainer Tuuli Penttinen-Lampisuo / Poike Productio Wed 17.12.2025 at 16.30-18 - Productisation, trainer Tuuli Penttinen-Lampisuo / Poike Productio The trainings are held in Finnish and each session can accommodate the 100 fastest. The aim of the trainings is to increase the competence of cultural and artistic operators and the prerequisites for joining the Cultural Bank. The organisers are the Producer Centre Living Lab and the City of Tampere / Cultural Bank's expansion project. The registration form can be accessed via this link: The Cultural Bank of Finland has just opened a nationwide, unique online platform that brings together the creators of art and culture and their services. They can be easily found and ordered from the Cultural Bank. The service expanded from Pirkanmaa to nationwide this autumn. In Northern Ostrobothnia, the Culture Bank is provided by the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia and the City of Oulu's cultural and cultural services, which also provide additional information. The Cultural Bank can be consulted on its own website: Frontpage - Cultural Bank More information: Auli Suorsa, Culture Specialist, tel. +358 50 386 8443, auli.suorsa@pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi  

The Cultural Bank of Finland is a nationwide online service that brings together art and culture professionals and the services they provide. In the autumn of 2025, the service will also expand to Northern Ostrobothnia, and all art and culture actors in the region will be welcome to join in. The service originated in Pirkanmaa and has been widely praised throughout Finland. "The Pirkanmaa Cultural Bank has been admired and such a service has been actively requested for Northern Ostrobothnia as well. Now it is a pleasure to announce that this will happen just before the opening of the European Capital of Culture year," says Auli Suorsa, Senior Specialist at the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. In Northern Ostrobothnia, the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia and the City of Oulu are jointly responsible for the regional maintenance, communication and financing of the Cultural Bank. The Cultural Bank is an investment by organisations in Oulu 2026, the year of the Capital of Culture, and the development of the creative industries. The Cultural Bank increases the visibility and job opportunities of authors and provides an equal platform for different fields of art. Professional art and culture creators can register for the service. Each person can create their own profile and add on-demand services, such as workshops, presentations or trainings. The use of the service will be widely communicated during the autumn and information and training sessions will be organised in different contexts. The service is free of charge for art and culture creators who produce content for it. Subscribers – such as municipalities, schools, care units, companies, event producers and also private individuals – can easily find and order services that suit them through the Cultural Bank. At national level, the goal is to compile approximately 6,000 author profiles, 4,000 commissioned services and 1,000 registered subscribers into the service. A total of 14 counties from all over Finland are participating in the extension of the service. The Cultural Bank is not only an online service, it has already created a nationwide network of developers in the creative sector. It includes provincial federations and central cities. The service supports cooperation between municipalities, counties, welfare areas and vitality services in particular. At the same time, it strengthens the possibilities for smaller municipalities to fulfil their statutory role in supporting professional art activities. The expansion work of the Cultural Bank is coordinated by the City of Tampere. As of May 2025, Red & Blue Oy is responsible for the technical maintenance of the web service. Funding has been extended by the Ministry of Education and Culture and comes from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). Additional information: Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia: Auli Suorsa, Specialist, Culture. Tel. +358 50 386 8443 / auli.suorsa@pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi…

A grant of EUR 300,000 has been granted for the further development and expansion of the Pirkanmaa Cultural Bank online service launched at the beginning of 2023 from the Ministry of Education and Culture's structural support for the renewal of the cultural and creative sectors. As a result of the grant, the service will be extended to eight other regions in addition to Pirkanmaa. North Ostrobothnia is also included. Practical work in the area is carried out in cooperation between the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia and the City of Oulu. Pirkanmaa Cultural Bank is a free online service maintained by the City of Tampere that brings together cultural and artistic creators and their on-demand services. The aim of the online service is to increase the employment, visibility and networking of artists, as well as the availability and diverse use of culture. At the moment, the service has 500 cultural and artistic authors and more than 400 on-demand cultural and art services. The user experience of the service has been positive. The Cultural Bank can be found at Kulttuuripankki.fi. "For a long time, North Ostrobothnia has been looking for an easy-to-use online platform from which different actors can acquire cultural and artistic services for their own needs. The Cultural Bank responds to this desire," says Auli Suorsa, Culture Specialist at the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. The grant was awarded to the City of Tampere. The project partners are the City of Espoo, which is responsible for the Uusimaa region in cooperation with the Regional Council of Helsinki, Vantaa and Uusimaa, the City of Turku and the Regional Council of Southwest Finland, the City of Lappeenranta and the Regional Council of South Karelia, the City of Kuopio and the Regional Council of North Savo, the Regional Council of Ostrobothnia, the Regional Council of North Karelia and the City of Joensuu, the City of Mikkeli and the Regional Council of South Savo, as well as the City of Oulu and the Regional Council of North Ostrobothnia. Further information: Kulttuuripankki.fi website City of Tampere website news about the expansion of the Cultural Bank. Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia: Auli Suorsa, Culture Specialist, tel. +358 50 386 8443, auli.suorsa@pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi City of Tampere: Anna Szalay, Development Manager, tel. +358 44 481 1774, anna.szalay@tampere.fi Photo by Leena Törmälä.

The joint meeting of the Regional Councils of Mainland Finland was held in Turku on 14 May 2024. The 18 regional federations of Finland issued a joint statement on the preparation of the cultural policy report. The purpose of the preparation of the Cultural Policy Report launched by Prime Minister Orpo's Government is to produce an ambitious vision for the future, which will enable the long-term development of Finland's artistic and cultural policy. In addition to the vision of the future, the report presents the actions that will be taken to achieve the objectives. The aim of cultural activities is to support people's opportunities for creative expression and activities, as well as for making and experiencing culture and art, to promote equal opportunities and participation of all population groups in culture, art and education, to strengthen the well-being and health of the population, as well as inclusion and communality, and to create the conditions for the development of vitality.  All provinces want to be involved in this work. The main points of the provincial federations' statement are the following: Art and culture are jobs and livelihoods. The diverse job description of creative professionals must be recognised and taken into account in working life and society's systems. The prerequisites for liberal adult education, basic arts education and cultural education must be ensured in order to realise positive future development. Art and culture must be supported equally throughout Finland. The ability of municipalities to provide high-quality cultural services also in small municipalities and rural areas requires long-term planning and financial support from the state.   Read the full statement of the Regional Councils of Mainland Finland (pdf).   Additional information: Regional Director Jyrki Kaiponen +358 40 140 8995, steep.kaiponen@keski-pohjanmaa.fi Regional Director Jussi Rämet+358 40 586 3877, jussi.ramet@pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi

What is my relationship with nature? What does home mean to me? How can emotions be handled and expressed through art? How can art increase the participation of local residents?  Could art be part of our daily lives? What is art? Can anyone make art?  Could art be used as a means of development? For example, these questions were considered and the answers to them were sought in the recently completed Culture Cell project and its art pilots. In 2023, six art pilots were carried out in Northern Ostrobothnia to meet the development needs of municipalities. They had a total of 97 workshops and produced 29 artworks and events. The pilots were carried out by 17 artists and nearly 3,000 local residents participated. Videos were also made for each pilot. All the results of this extensive work have now been compiled into a development story using a story map. You can find it here: Take a comfortable position, click on the map and get to know Northern Ostrobothnia in a new way! In the development story, you can read a great speech by Katja Koskela at the artwork's publicity event in Pyhänä, of which here is a small sample: For a small town, art is very important. It is open to all ages. There was no age limit for this mosaic work either, everyone was welcome to do it. I immediately noticed how such a joint project united us citizens." The other results of the Cultural Foundation project and the final report can be found on the website of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia: The Culture Cell project - Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia We would like to thank all the municipal cultural managers, artists, other partners and local residents who participated in the pilots.   The sum of its parts in the art pilot was used in art workshops to create wall mosaic works on topics selected by local residents. Here's a blueberry piece for Vihanni's youth space in Raahe. Artists Jenny Grönholm and Jass Kaselaan were responsible for the art pilot. Photo by Auli Suorsa.   During 2022- 2/2024, the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia implemented a regional development task under the Act on Cultural Activities in Municipalities through the project Cultural Cell, Cooperation and Impact in ​ Cultural Services. The project was funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture. More information about the project: Culture Cell project's social media channels Facebook and Instagram Auli Suorsa, Specialist, Culture and Project Manager, tel. +358 50 3868443 e-mail: firstname.lastname@pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi  

The Ministry of Education and Culture has granted the Kainuu Regional Council a special grant of EUR 160 000 for the development of the cultural activities of the municipalities of Kainuu and Northern Ostrobothnia. The project will be implemented during 2024-2025 in close cooperation with the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. KAIPO - Strengthening Networks of Culture in Kainuu and Northern Ostrobothnia project creates impact on the cultural activities of Kainuu and Northern Ostrobothnia counties and their municipalities. Neighbouring regions already have some cooperation in the field of arts and culture, which provides a good basis for the implementation of the project, as well as for the development of more extensive cooperation and know-how. As a result of the project, cooperation between counties, municipalities and cultural actors will be intensified and the conditions for more efficient use of resources will be strengthened. Cultural services create new operating models and content, and municipal cultural managers receive more support for their work. The municipalities of North Ostrobothnia and Kainuu are participating in Oulu 2026 Capital of Culture year. The project also creates conditions for the implementation of its high-quality content. Through the co-creation of the project, the aim is to strengthen the cultural communities and regions. Co-creation, which is done using the partnership table model, is central to the project's measures. The themes are selected on the basis of the municipalities' own needs. In addition to representatives of municipalities, key cultural actors related to the theme under discussion will be invited to the partnership tables. The first step of the project is to identify development needs through a survey. The results will be heard at a kick-off event on 12 February 2024. The Kainuu Regional Council is responsible for the implementation of the KAIPO project. You can follow the progress of the project on its own website:  https://kainuunliitto.fi/cooperation/projects/kaipo/ The Ministry of Education and Culture's special grants for municipal cultural activities promote the implementation of the objectives and tasks of the Act on Municipal Cultural Activities (166/2019). The project, which now spans two provinces, will build on the work carried out in Kainuu and Northern Ostrobothnia in previous provincial development tasks in 2022-2023. Further information: Kainuu Regional Council, Project Coordinator Joni Kinnunen, tel. +358 44 797 4254 or joni.kinnunen@kainuunliitto.fi Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, Cultural Specialist Auli Suorsa, tel. 050-386 8443 or auli.suorsa@pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi Previous regional development tasks: Culture-Kainuu https://kainuunliitto.fi/cooperation/projects/culture-kainuu/ Northern Ostrobothnia Cultural Society https://www.pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi/development/culture/cultural cell-project/ [caption id="attachment_42678" align="alignleft" width="523"] Photo: Kainuu Regional Council website[/caption]

During the autumn of 2023, artists Sinikka Eirola and Tiina Vehkaperä, together with local residents, put together works of art in five municipalities. The material was metal recyclables, i.e. crooks, which got a new life as everyday treasures in the works. The works and their preparation process can be viewed in a published video on the Youtube channel of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia: All around: Communal art on yards and paths (youtube.com) The works located in Hailuoto, Alavieska, Pyhäjoki, Sievi and Kalajoki are now peeking out of the snow in winter, waiting for the arrival of spring and further work. “These works of art are nice because they are never quite finished. You can continue to work on them alone or together by adding new nozzles according to your own mind. The works are transformed over time, both by the weather and by the art activity of the local residents," says Sinikka Eirola. Works made from blankets were assembled in community art workshops. With the same theme, we want to continue and return to the works over and over again, together and separately. ‘The work in the church park in Pyhäjoki attracted a great deal of interest already at the time of its creation. The idea is to continue to accentuate it, for example, on local days. I already have a bag full of old keys, which I'm sure will find their place among the other bad guys. At the same time, keys and other objects can inspire local stories about places, events and memories that are important to Pyhäjoki residents," says Heikki Lahnaoja, Director of Library and Culture at Pyhäjoki.  Works are encouraged to take initiative, as long as the nozzles are firmly fixed in place. The locations of the works are: - in Alavieska, a park area near the parish building (Papinpolku 1), - in Sievi, Villenjärvi beach (Rantatie 2), - in Kalajoki, Jokipuisto park next to the town hall (Kalajoentie 5), - in Pyhäjoki, a church park (Vanhatie 27), - in Hailuoto, a path leading to the yard of an old school (Luovontie 61 A). Around the world – Art for yards and paths, the art pilot was part of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia’s Culture Cell – Collaboration and impact on cultural services project. It implements the regional development of culture in Northern Ostrobothnia. The project is funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture. Additional information: Artist Sinikka Eirola, Cultural Association Vimma tel. 0442823833, sinikka.eirola@gmail.com Project Manager Auli Suorsa, Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia tel. +358 50 386 8443, auli.suorsa@pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi Presentation of art pilots Art Pilots - (pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi) Presentation of the Cultural Cell project Cultural Cell - project - (pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi Facebook, Instagram - Alavieska's community artwork got its shape on an old tree trunk (photo by Sinikka Eirola). - Artists Sinikka Eirola and Tiina Vehkaperä in their work in Alavieska (photo by Auli Suorsa). - In Hailuoto, a community art work works…

Are you a professional artist or cultural operator from Northern Ostrobothnia, Lapland, Kainuu or North Karelia? Are you or your organisation internationally active or do you have international goals or wishes? Do you want to help develop cultural and cultural cooperation in the Barents region? If you answered yes, we hope you will join us in preparing a cultural report for the Barents region by answering the survey. The cultural report will be an overview of the cultural life in Northern Norway, Northern Sweden and Northern Finland and its international activities with development proposals. The report provides a description of the current state, opportunities and challenges of cultural life, as well as future development needs and strategies. The study takes into account the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's war against Ukraine and the economic downturn. Cultural actors in the Barents region play an important role in the drafting of the report and, through the survey, participate in analysing the current situation and drafting development ideas. In addition to the survey, the survey includes research visits and data collection, as well as interviews with selected actors. The report was commissioned by the Barents Euro-Arctic Council. It involves the governments of Finland, Norway, Russia and Sweden, as well as the regional governments of the region. Finland participates in the Regional Councils of Lapland, North Ostrobothnia, North Karelia and Kainuu. The study was commissioned by the Barents Euro-Arctic Council Working Group on Culture. Link to the survey: https://forms.gle/xshpYeUPScRMWUAK7 Response time is until 28 April! Read more in the information letter. The message and link can be forwarded to potential participants. Thank you to all the respondents! More information Questionnaire: Eric Sjöström, Senior Research Fellow, Erda konsult AB, (eric@erdakonsult.se)  Auli Suorsa, Senior Specialist, Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia (auli.suorsa@pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi)  

The sustainability requirement strongly permeates society as a whole, all its functions and actors. Technical solutions alone are not enough for change. We need a new way of living, values and ways of thinking. We need a cultural sustainability breakthrough. How can culture concretely respond to the ecological sustainability crisis? What role can culture play in the green transition, ecological reconstruction and strengthening democracy? How is culture part of the solution in Northern Ostrobothnia? These big questions will be discussed at the Cultural Forum on 23 March 2023 at Oulu Music Centre. The theme of the day is Sustainability from Culture to Northern Ostrobothnia. A number of cultural operators, artists and researchers have already taken up the challenge of the sustainability transformation. One of them is Pauliina Latvala-Harvilahti, docent of cultural heritage, who belongs to the research community of the House of Science and Hope in Helsinki and to the Suotrendi research group of the University of Eastern Finland. Together with the group, he explores the ways and trends of experiencing peatlands in the 21st century, their impact on peatland relations and, more broadly, the diverse cultural heritage of peatlands. “Building the desired future starts with understanding the past. A dynamic museum is a good way to do this. It can also be used in the new museum to be built in Oulu," says Docent Leena Paaskoski, Development Director at the Finnish Forest Museum Lusto. He has developed the concept of a dynamic museum, which is currently being implemented in Luusto. It will enable museums to play an even stronger role in future-oriented work and in meeting the sustainability challenge. In addition to Latvala-Harvilahti and Paaskoski, the Culture Forum will be attended by Anu-Maarit Moilanen, Managing Director of Oulu Theatre, and Jetta Huttunen, Executive Producer of the Culture Retailer. In the Forum's five workshops, the themes of the day are explored on a concrete level. The programme of the Cultural Forum and information about the workshops can be found here. The Forum is co-organised by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland and the Regional Council of North Ostrobothnia's Cultural Cell - Collaboration and Impact in Cultural Services project. The project implements the Ministry of Education and Culture's regional cultural development task. Additional information: Antti Huntus, Senior Specialist, Arts Promotion Centre Finland (tel. +358 295 330 810 antti.huntus@taike.fi) Auli Suorsa, Senior Specialist, Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia (tel. +358 50 386 8443 auli.suorsa@pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi).

With these words, Sanna Salmela, Head of Welfare Promotion in the North Ostrobothnia Welfare Area, opened a seminar on Cultural Impact on Health and Welfare held on 8 September. ‘The wellbeing region must integrate cultural wellbeing services as part of its own service production. On the other hand, effective cooperation with municipal cultural services is important, as both parties share goals and customers", said Marjo-Riitta Tervonen, Head of Inclusion and Connectivity at the North Ostrobothnia Welfare Area. In the city of Oulu, the coordinator of cultural services for the elderly, Heidi Jäärni, already operates at the interface between general cultural services and social and health services. Perhaps such common tasks will also be possible in the near future between municipalities and the wellbeing services county. Expanding job descriptions and hybrid professionalism, i.e. working with different target groups in new kinds of work environments, challenge not only artists, but also the education system. According to Taru Koivisto, who has argued about the work of musicians in the Finnish health care system, effectiveness will increase if artists are well prepared for their work already in their field of education. The content of the training should be developed. "Even if a person is seriously ill, they can still feel good" The concrete effects of art on the seminar audience were presented by dancer and neuroscientist Hanna Poikonen. She has studied the effects of creative movement, dance and music on the brain. The results show that they accelerate the regeneration of brain tissue and the repair of potential damage. They also reduce stress, prevent memory problems, strengthen balance and imagination. Above all, dance and music bring pleasure. “Even if you are seriously ill, you can still feel good about yourself. Through culture and art, we can strengthen this very aspect of experientialism in ourselves. Everyone should find their own path to well-being. Art and culture provide pathways to it", said Hanna Poikonen in her speech. Dance and music can bring direct relief to many diseases, such as Parkinson's disease. You can also participate in the Parkinson's ballet groups in the Oulu region and they have been popular. At the cultural well-being market organised at the end of the seminar day, the audience got to know, among other things, the activities of the Mielenliike- Dance and Movement Therapy service led by Jessica Viitala. The market square had a large number of operators presenting their products and services related to cultural well-being. The seminar on cultural impact on well-being and health was organised in cooperation by the North Ostrobothnia Welfare Region and its Future Health and Social Services Centre project and the Regional Council of North Ostrobothnia and its Cultural Cell project. Nearly 200 participants attended the event on-site and via streaming. the Seminar …